Malpass and Prime Minister Modi also discussed the role and cost of various subsidies and the importance of targeted support for small farmers and vulnerable sectors…reports Asian Lite News
World Bank President David Malpass met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
During the meeting, President Malpass commended India on maintaining solid growth during the global slowdown and encouraged further progress to improve the business-enabling environment and advance the energy transition. Malpass is in India to attend a meeting of G20 Finance Ministers and the governors of the central bank.
Prime Minister Modi and Malpass discussed India in terms of “Amrit Kaal” and the goal to achieve and sustain 8 per cent growth as India approaches the 100th anniversary of its Independence in 2047.
President Malpass noted the importance of increasing private sector investment and commercial credit growth as India builds competitiveness in global value chains.
Malpass encouraged the expansion of capital markets and more pathways to de-listing of companies as steps to attracting large new inflows of foreign direct investment.
Malpass and Prime Minister Modi also discussed the role and cost of various subsidies and the importance of targeted support for small farmers and vulnerable sectors.
Enjoyed sitting down with @PMOIndia@narendramodi in Delhi to affirm @WorldBank Group support for India in “Amrit Kaal” to achieve & sustain high growth rates.
Important to increase private sector investment & advance India’s energy transition.
WB President Malpass welcomed the government’s new budget and the recent stability of the rupee, which are both key steps to fast and sustainable growth. He expressed the World Bank Group’s support for increased female labour force participation, expanded infrastructure, green finance, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energy.
WB President and Prime Minister Modi also discussed agricultural policies that could increase efficiency and crop yields while better utilising scarce water and electricity resources, and the LiFE initiative for environmental awareness around the world.
Looking ahead to the G20 summit hosted by the government of India, President Malpass, and Prime Minister Modi discussed India’s priorities, action on debt for low-income countries and vulnerable middle-income countries, and the role and evolution of international finance institutions. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023 in Lucknow.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday addressed the Global Investors Summit-2023 session on ‘Strengthening of MSMEs and Cooperatives’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow.
“Global Investors Summit has been organized with a vision to bring investment in Uttar Pradesh. The development of Uttar Pradesh is very important to fulfil Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s dream of a five trillion dollar economy, taking Uttar Pradesh forward means accelerating India’s development,” Shah said. He said that there are five conditions to bring industry and investment in any state – proper law and order situation, good infrastructure in the state, clear formulation of policies for industry and finance, transparent governance and quick decision-making ability.
“Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Government of Uttar Pradesh led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has implemented these five things, and a very favourable environment has been created here for industry and investment,” he added.
He also said that in the coming months, he will tour various parts of the country to strengthen and expand the cooperative sector.
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit 2023 in Lucknow.
Highlighting the country’s development strides and investment-friendly environment and, also pointing out that Uttar Pradesh was driving the country’s growth, PM Modi said that India was reforming not out of compulsion but out of conviction.
If India is the bright spot in the world, then Uttar Pradesh is its growth engine, he said.
Addressing the gathering, he said, “Uttar Pradesh’s growth has been noteworthy. People used to say that it was hard to develop UP and the law-and-order situation in the state can never improve. UP was known for scams and no one had any hopes for the state’s revival and reform. But, in just five to six years, UP has created a new identity for itself. Today, Uttar Pradesh is known for good governance, peace, law-and-order, and stability.”
PM Modi said a big change is being seen in the thinking and aspirations of society and the country’s youth today. The aspirations of youth are behind the country’s push for development, he added. (ANI)
I am sceptical that the Pakistani political leadership has had a change of heart regarding its relations with India, says Prof. Sumit Ganguly in an interview with Asian Lite’s Abhish K. Bose
Sumit Ganguly is a Distinguished Professor of Political Science and holds the Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is the co-editor (with Eswaran Sridharan) of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Indian Politics. An author of a number of books on South Asia, Prof Ganguly is widely considered as an expert on South Asia. Asian Lite’s Abhish K. Bose asks Prof Ganguly some pertinent questions on the crisis being faced by Pakistan.
Abhish K. Bose: While Pakistan is confronting a rare economic crisis, one of their longstanding strategic partners, the U.S., is doing nothing substantial to bail out that country, which is facing its own share of domestic headaches. Does it indicate a significant shift in geo-political perceptions and priorities on the part of the US? If yes, why? What added bearing will this have on Indo-US relations?
Sumit Ganguly: The US, at the moment, is preoccupied with the war in Ukraine, the issues it faces with the PRC in Asia and beyond and with a range of domestic issues. Under these circumstances, Pakistan’s fate is a relatively low priority for the United States. Nevertheless, there are some in the US Department of State who are trying to keep the relationship alive in the forlorn hope that they can elicit some form of counterterrorism cooperation from Pakistan. This, in part, explains the recent decision to upgrade its fleet of F-16s. Ironically, Pakistan is paying about $400 million for these upgrades at a time when it is faced with near bankruptcy.
Abhish K. Bose: Pakistan is indebted foremost to the Chinese banks. Why doesn’t China intervene to avert a collapse? Is Pakistan going the Sri Lanka way? If, like in India, Pakistan had a stable democratic mode of governance, could the outcome have been different to what it is today? Or, a theocratic State, irrespective of the role of the army, unviable in the long-term?
Sumit Ganguly: To begin with, Pakistan is not a theocratic state. A theocracy is a state that is ruled by clerics. It is, however, a state based on religion. That being said, even if both India and Pakistan were robust democracies it is not entirely clear that they could resolve their differences amicably. From its founding Pakistan has had an irredentist claim to Kashmir. This claim has not been abandoned regardless of which government has come to power. Of course, had democracy been consolidated in Pakistan, one wonders if a different outcome might have obtained.
Abhish K. Bose: What is the role that patronising and funding militancy and cross-border terrorism has played in causing the present disarray in Pakistan? What, if any, are the lessons that countries like India can learn from the plight of Pakistan?
Sumit Ganguly: India learnt its lesson from the Sri Lankan fiasco. After all, it is well known that RAW supported and trained the LTTE. This lead to a serious, eventual blowback. Yes, Pakistan’s dalliance with a range of irregular forces and terrorists have come to haunt it. Yet, far too many Pakistanis have deluded themselves into believing that that they are victims of terrorism.
Abhish K. Bose: The recent statement of Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif that after three wars with India Pakistan has become sensible enough to want to live in peace with India. Is a civilian government in Pakistan free enough from the control of its army to choose the path of peace with its neighbours? Will religious extremists in that country tolerate such an option? If this change in perception is due to an economic crisis, will it not revert to the old mode of antagonism when the crisis blows over? Or, do you think there is a genuine change in perception and priorities?
Sumit Ganguly: I am quite skeptical that the Pakistani political leadership has had a change of heart. Even if they have it is far from clear to me that they have the requisite ability to dramatically change course when it comes to relations with India. The military still remains primus inter pares and controls the relationship with India. Furthermore, distrust and hatred of India has become woven into Pakistan’s political culture. More to the point, the rise of Hindu nationalism in India is adding fuel to the fire.
Abhish K. Bose: To what extent, do you think, has the Russia – Ukraine war accelerated the economic downslide of Pakistan, already strained by the pandemic-induced slowdown?
Sumit Ganguly: I think that the war has exacerbated matters. However, the problems were of long standing and indeed structural.
Abhish K. Bose: How significant is the role of Pakistan in furthering the geo-political roadmap of China? China has invested hugely in Pak as part of the belt and road project. What will be the role donned by Pakistan if and when China emerges as a major global player?
Sumit Ganguly: The Sino-Pakistani nexus was forged after the 1962 war. For both countries, this is one of the few alliances that has endured. China’s commitment to the BRI is both designed to serve its own parochial, material interests while making Pakistan even more dependent on the PRC.
Abhish K. Bose: Taking into account the border disputes India had with China and Pakistan, and China creating periodic tensions in the border, what would be most prudent strategy for India to fend off these adversaries? What should be thrust areas?
Sumit Ganguly: India has to pursue two simultaneous strategies. First, it needs to bolster its domestic military capabilities. Second, it needs to strengthen its security partnership with the United States. For the foreseeable future it will lack the necessary wherewithal to cope with the threat from the PRC.
Border Security Force exchange sweets with Pakistan Rangers at JCP Attari on India’s 73rd Republic Day, in Amritsar on January 26, 2022. (Photo Pawan Sharma_IANS)
Abhish K. Bose: The Pakistan PM has recently demanded the mediation of UAE in the Kashmir issue. Do you think India will take kindly to internationalising the Kashmir issue? Wouldn’t it serve the political interests of the BJP better to keep the Kashmir pot stirring?
Sumit Ganguly: India has never taken kindly to any effort to internationalize the Kashmir issue. This government will prove no exception to the rule. Actually, apart from its drastic decision to dispense with Article 370 which had conferred a special status on the state of Jammu and Kashmir the BJP does not have any compelling reason to stir the pot in Kashmir. All they want is political quiescence.
Protesters included people representing different diaspora organisations & from all walks of life, reports Ragasudha Vinjamuri
Multiple nation-wide demonstrations took place in Britain today in front of BBC offices in England, Midlands, and Scotland, condemning its recent documentary on Prime Minister Modi titled India-The Modi Question.
A large number of enraged and infuriated Indian Diaspora members registered their objections and disappointment with and in front of the BBC offices citing its continued anti-India stance. Slogans such as “Shame on BBC” “Boycott BBC” “Vande Mataram” and several pro-Modi chants have reverberated through the areas in Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Birmingham, and London.
Protest at Glasgow, Scotland
Protesters included people representing different diaspora organisations & from all walks of life, among who there was a clear sense of frustration and dejection as they felt the broadcaster’s piece was totally biased, deliberately eliminating key facts.
Speaking to Asian Lite, Siva Kotamarthi who attended the protest in Birmingham, said “The documentary on Modi was a very carefully articulated piece against India demonising her leader. The ground reality is the rising strength and power of India globally under Modi’s leadership, hence the historically anti-India BBC looks for avenues to hurt and takes it to a different level. Although BBC claims it is independent, it may apparently be serving some vested interests. This commotion across several cities must act as a deterrent to BBC for its future broadcasts.”
Protesters at Birmingham
Another protester, who did not want to be named, said “BBC’s narrative presents danger of creating rift and provoking tensions between communities in Britain, which is not really needed at this hour. Moreover, it upsets thousands of those who appreciate the progress India is making under the able leadership of PM Modi. Insinuating such a globally respected leader and people’s champion, who does it really benefit? Ofcom should take note of it.“
Thousands have complained and signed petitions immediately following the documentary telecast by BBC last week and Members of Parliament including Lord Popat and Bob Blackman have expressed their dismay.
Protest at Newcastle Upon TyneProtest at ManchesterProtest at London
Biden’s offer of support comes at a time when India’s growing proximity to the United States is attracting unsolicited concern from Beijing and Moscow, for their separate reasons, a report by Yashwant Raj
US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he is looking forward to “supporting my dear friend” Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Indias G-20 Presidency.
India assumed the rotational G-20 chair for a year on Thursday, the same day that it also took the month-long Presidency of the UN Security Council, which will also be the last month of its eighth non-permanent membership of what is really the world’s most elite club on global security issues.
“India is a strong partner of the United States, and I look forward to supporting my friend Prime Minister Modi during India’s G20 Presidency,” President Biden wrote in a tweet.
“Together we will advance sustainable and inclusive growth while tackling shared challenges like the climate, energy, and food crises,”he added.
Biden’s offer of support comes at a time when India’s growing proximity to the United States is attracting unsolicited concern from Beijing and Moscow, for their separate reasons.
A US Department of Defense report issued earlier this week said the Chinese government officials had specifically asked US officials “to not interfere” in China’s relationship with India.
And in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that the US-led NATO was trying to “draw India into anti-Chinese and anti-Russian alliances”.
It’s not a secret that the Biden administration pressured India to condemn and oppose the Russian invasion of Ukraine more forcefully than it had done earlier. It has seemed content lately with Prime Minister Modi’s public rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in September, telling him at a joint appearance covered widely by news media outlets that this is “not an era of war” and that the conflict with Ukraine should be settled through dialogue.
But New Delhi has refused this far to abandon its longstanding relationship with Moscow and has continued to buy Russian crude, ignoring Western sanctions and admonitions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders across the political spectrum on Monday congratulated Rishi Sunak, who is set to take over as the first Indian-descent Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
“Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the ‘living bridge’ of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership,” Modi said in a tweet.
“Congratulations and good wishes @RishiSunak on becoming UK PM,” tweeted Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the 'living bridge' of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership.
“Great News. Indians setting their mark all over the globe. My best wishes to Mr @RishiSunak on becoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Wishing him wisdom and strength to lead the country successfully”, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet.
Great News. Indians setting their mark all over the globe.
My best wishes to Mr @RishiSunak on becoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
“Truth is always stranger than fiction. #Sunak, only one ever 2lose #PM contest & then bcome PM in 90 days. First indian origin #PM of #UK. Reverse imperialism of nicest kind. First ever indian 2head a foreign govt on #Deepawali!!” tweeted leader Congress Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
TDP leader and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu posted: “Absolutely delighted that @RishiSunak is all set to become UK’s new Prime Minister! I extend my best wishes to him as he prepares to steer his country ahead as its first Indian heritage PM. This is indeed a joyous moment for Indians across the globe.”
“India scored a glorious hat trick this Diwali week! After Aman Sehrawat’s wrestling Gold and Virat Kohli’s heroic knock,now it’s Rishi Sunak’s turn to bring glory to India! Congratulations to @RishiSunak who is set to become the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of UK”, wrote Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal.
Congress’ Karnataka unit President D.K. Shivakumar tweeted: “Congratulations to Mr. @RishiSunak on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.The first ever Indian-origin man to occupy the chair of PM in UK.
If this does happen, I think all of us will have to acknowledge that theBrits have done something very rare in the world,to place a member of a visible minority in the most powerful office. As we Indians celebrate the ascent of @RishiSunak, let's honestly ask: can it happen here? https://t.co/UrDg1Nngfv
“Hoping that your tenure will mark a new beginning for India-UK ties which will bring prosperity to both the nations.
However, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, tweeting before Sunak’s win was announced, said: “If this does happen, I think all of us will have to acknowledge that theBrits have done something very rare in the world,to place a member of a visible minority in the most powerful office. As we Indians celebrate the ascent of @RishiSunak, let’s honestly ask: can it happen here?”
PM arrives at Kargil to cerebrates Deepavali with brave solider on October 24, 2022.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who landed in Kargil on Monday to celebrate the festival of light with soldiers said Diwali means the “festival of end of terror” and that Kargil had made it possible.
Addressing soldiers Prime Minister said, “For me, all of you have been my family for years now. It is a privilege to spend Diwali with our brave jawans in Kargil.”
“The forces are the pillar of India’s security. From this victorious land of Kargil, I wish the countrymen and the world a very happy Diwali. There has not been a single war with Pakistan where Kargil has not hoisted the flag of victory. The meaning of Diwali is end of Atank (terror) and Kargil made it possible,” he said.
“In Kargil, our forces crushed terror. I was fortunate enough to be a witness. I was shown my old photos here, and I am grateful for that,” he added.
The Prime Minister has been celebrating the festival with soldiers for several years now.
In 2019, the Prime Minister celebrated Diwali with soldiers in the Rajouri district along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. He had called soldiers as his family and lauded them for guarding the borders even during festivals. He had exchanged Diwali greetings with the Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel at Pathankot Air Force Station.
In 2018, Prime Minister Modi had celebrated Diwali with jawans of the Indian Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), at Harsil in Uttarakhand. Following that he had offered prayers at the Kedarnath shrine. In 2017, the Prime Minister celebrated the festival of light with army soldiers and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in the Gurez Valley of Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora District.
PM arrives at Kargil to cerebrates Deepavali with brave solider on October 24, 2022.
In 2016, the PM went to Himachal Pradesh to celebrate the festival with Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel at an outpost.
He visited the Punjab border to celebrate Diwali with soldiers in 2015. In 2014, Prime Minister Modi spent Diwali in Siachen with soldiers.
Notably, PM Modi has been visiting soldiers on Diwali, ever since he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. (ANI)
PM Modi releases wild Cheetahs - which had become extinct from India, in Kuno National Park, in Madhya Pradesh on September 17, 2022. (Photo: PIB)
‘Project Cheetah’ is the world’s first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project, reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said cheetahs are back on Indian soil after 70 years and the move will lead to restoration of forest and grassland ecosystems.
The Prime Minister released the big cats — five male and three female, brought from Namibia, into enclosures of Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park and termed it endeavour towards environment and wildlife conservation.
Prime Minister Modi said, “Cheetahs had become extinct from the country in 1952, but for decades, no meaningful effort was made to rehabilitate them. Today, as we celebrate ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the country has started rehabilitating cheetahs with a new energy.”
PM Modi releases wild Cheetahs – which had become extinct from India, in Kuno National Park, in Madhya Pradesh on September 17, 2022. (Photo: PIB)
He said that tourists and wildlife enthusiasts will have to wait a few months before they can see cheetahs at KNP.
“Bringing Cheetahs back to India will help in the restoration of open forest and grassland ecosystems and also lead to enhanced livelihood opportunities for the local community,” the Prime Minister added.
He said ‘Project Cheetah’ is the world’s first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.
Notably, the special event was scheduled for September 17 to mark Prime Minister Modi’s 72nd birthday.
The felines will be living under an earmarked area of KNP for two weeks after which they will be released in the park.
According to a senior forest officer in Madhya Pradesh: “Cheetahs will be living in an earmarked area under KNP for two weeks. Once they will adapt to the climate of this area, they will be released into the park.”
All cheetahs have special radio-collar fitted to their necks so that their movement can be easily located. Their health and movement will be monitored every day by a special joint team of African and Indian wild animals experts,” the senior forest officer added.
Spread over 748 square km in the vast forest landscape of Madhya Pradesh, KNP is the new home of the eight cheetahs. Notably, the region is very close to the Sal forests of Koriya in Chhattisgarh, where the native Asiatic Cheetah was last spotted almost 70 years ago.
As per the forest officials in Madhya Pradesh, KNP was chosen as suitable destination for cheetahs after a survey of nearly a dozen national parks located in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh.
“These surveys were carried between 2010 and 2012. Later, it was observed that Kuno was the suitable destination. It was the most preferred habitat based on the assessment carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) based on climatic variables, prey densities, population of competing predators, and the historical range,” the officer said.
Kuno is probably one of the few wildlife sites in the country where there has been a complete relocation of roughly 24 villages and their domesticated livestock from inside the park years ago. The village sites and their agricultural fields have now been taken over by grasses and are managed as savannah habitats.
According to the government’s plan, Kuno offers the prospect of housing four large felines in India — tiger, lion, leopard and cheetah — and ensuring they coexist as they did in the past. While the only surviving population of lions is in Gujarat, Kuno was initially proposed to provide a second home.
The forest has a significant population of leopards with a density of about nine leopards per 100 square km. This remains a concern, taking into account, that the much-stronger leopard has an advantage over the slender cheetah, whose strength mainly lies in its blazingly fast speed. They are also believed to have more adaptive potential and a wider habitat than the cheetah.
PM Modi visits Kuno National Park, after the Cheetah Release Ceremony, in Madhya Pradesh on September 17, 2022. (Photo: PIB)
Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Pate, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Union Ministers — Narendra Singh Tomar, Bhupender Yadav, Jyotiraditya M Scindia and Ashwini Choubey — were among those present on the occasion.
The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister on Friday had said, “We were a tiger state, a leopard state and now becoming a Cheetah state.”
The city of Varanasi has been nominated as the first-ever SCO tourism and cultural capital during 2022-2023 at the 22nd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Friday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the SCO summit, which is the first in-person meeting of the regional group in two years owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The nomination of Varanasi as the first ever SCO tourism and cultural capital will promote tourism, cultural and humanitarian exchanges between India and the SCO member countries. It also underlines India’s ancient civilisational links with the member states of SCO, especially the Central Asian republics,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
Under the framework of this major cultural outreach programme, a number of events will be hosted in Varanasi during 2022-23, for which guests will be invited from the SCO member states. These events are expected to attract Indologists, scholars, authors, musicians, artists, photo journalists, travel bloggers apart from the invited guests.
The regulations for nominating SCO tourism and cultural capital were adopted at the Dushanbe SCO Summit in 2021 with an objective to promote cooperation between the SCO member states in the field of culture and tourism.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Glasgow, Scotland on November 02, 2021. (PIB)
India had abstained from the UN Security Council voting saying that the path of the “diplomacy was given up”, reports Asian Lite News
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday over the current situation in his country and urged India for its political support in United Nations Security Council (UNSC) against Russia which is continuing its military operations in Ukraine.
Taking to Twitter, Zelenskyy said, “Spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Informed of the course of Ukraine repulsing Russian aggression. More than 100,000 invaders are on our land. They insidiously fire on residential buildings. Urged India to give us political support in UN Security Council. Stop the aggressor together!”
Notably, Russia on Friday (local time) vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution on Ukraine, while India, China, and UAE abstained from the vote. The vote was 11 in favour, one against, and three abstentions. India abstained from voting saying that the path of the “diplomacy was given up”.
Spoke with 🇮🇳 Prime Minister @narendramodi. Informed of the course of 🇺🇦 repulsing 🇷🇺 aggression. More than 100,000 invaders are on our land. They insidiously fire on residential buildings. Urged 🇮🇳 to give us political support in🇺🇳 Security Council. Stop the aggressor together!
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday also urged Germany and Hungary to back Russia’s expulsion from the SWIFT banking system as Moscow continues its military operation in Ukraine.
“We have almost full support from EU countries about disconnecting Russia from SWIFT. I hope Germany and Hungary will have the courage to support this decision,” Zelenskyy said in a video address that was posted on his Telegram channel, Sputnik News Agency reported today. Zelenskyy said also that Ukraine has a right to EU membership, and achieving this would be a key sign of support for the country.
“This is the decisive moment to close one and for all the multi-year strategic discussion, make a decision on Ukraine’s membership in the European Union. I discussed this with Charles Michele, Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron,” Zelenskyy said, as per Sputnik.
However, as per reports, the decision of whether to cut Russia off from the SWIFT international financial network or not will be made within a few days.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized Ukraine’s breakaway regions – Donetsk and Luhansk – as independent entities. Later, Putin ordered special military operations “to protect” the people in the Donbas region.
Several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia’s military operations and imposed sanctions on Moscow. (ANI)
